Daniel Steel
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195331448
- eISBN:
- 9780199868063
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331448.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
The biological and social sciences often generalize causal conclusions from one context to others that may differ in some relevant respects, as is illustrated by inferences from animal models to ...
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The biological and social sciences often generalize causal conclusions from one context to others that may differ in some relevant respects, as is illustrated by inferences from animal models to humans or from a pilot study to a broader population. Inferences like these are known as extrapolations. How and when extrapolation can be legitimate is a fundamental question for the biological and social sciences that has not received the attention it deserves. This book argues that previous accounts of extrapolation are inadequate and proposes a better approach that is able to answer methodological critiques of extrapolation from animal models to humans.Less
The biological and social sciences often generalize causal conclusions from one context to others that may differ in some relevant respects, as is illustrated by inferences from animal models to humans or from a pilot study to a broader population. Inferences like these are known as extrapolations. How and when extrapolation can be legitimate is a fundamental question for the biological and social sciences that has not received the attention it deserves. This book argues that previous accounts of extrapolation are inadequate and proposes a better approach that is able to answer methodological critiques of extrapolation from animal models to humans.
Thomas Pradeu
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199775286
- eISBN:
- 9780199932818
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199775286.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
What counts as an individual in the living world? What does it mean for a living thing to remain the same through time while constantly changing? Immunology, one of the most dynamic fields of today’s ...
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What counts as an individual in the living world? What does it mean for a living thing to remain the same through time while constantly changing? Immunology, one of the most dynamic fields of today’s biology, considers these questions its province, and answers them through its crucial concepts of “self” and “nonself.” Though immunology has been dominated since the 1940s by the self-nonself theory, this book argues that this theory is inadequate, because immune responses to self constituents and immune tolerance of foreign entities are the rule, not the exception. An alternative theory, the continuity theory, is advanced instead. This theory offers a new way to answer the question of what triggers an immune response. It also echoes the recent realization that all organisms, and not higher vertebrates only, have an immune system. This book’s main thesis is that the self-nonself theory should be abandoned, but that immunology still proves to be decisive for delineating the boundaries of the organism. Articulating an evolutionary and an immunological perspective, it offers an original conception of the organism. Tolerance of the fetus by the mother and of countless bacteria on the body’s surfaces proves that every organism is heterogeneous, that is, made of entities of different origins. In other words, every organism appears as a chimera, a mixed living thing the cohesiveness of which is ensured by the constant action of its immune system. The Limits of the Self will be essential reading for anyone interested in the definition of biological individuality and the understanding of the immune system.Less
What counts as an individual in the living world? What does it mean for a living thing to remain the same through time while constantly changing? Immunology, one of the most dynamic fields of today’s biology, considers these questions its province, and answers them through its crucial concepts of “self” and “nonself.” Though immunology has been dominated since the 1940s by the self-nonself theory, this book argues that this theory is inadequate, because immune responses to self constituents and immune tolerance of foreign entities are the rule, not the exception. An alternative theory, the continuity theory, is advanced instead. This theory offers a new way to answer the question of what triggers an immune response. It also echoes the recent realization that all organisms, and not higher vertebrates only, have an immune system. This book’s main thesis is that the self-nonself theory should be abandoned, but that immunology still proves to be decisive for delineating the boundaries of the organism. Articulating an evolutionary and an immunological perspective, it offers an original conception of the organism. Tolerance of the fetus by the mother and of countless bacteria on the body’s surfaces proves that every organism is heterogeneous, that is, made of entities of different origins. In other words, every organism appears as a chimera, a mixed living thing the cohesiveness of which is ensured by the constant action of its immune system. The Limits of the Self will be essential reading for anyone interested in the definition of biological individuality and the understanding of the immune system.
John Dupré
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199691982
- eISBN:
- 9780191738111
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199691982.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This volume collects essays written by John Dupré during his time as Director of the ESRC centre for Genomics in Society, and reflects his interest in the implications of emerging ideas in biology ...
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This volume collects essays written by John Dupré during his time as Director of the ESRC centre for Genomics in Society, and reflects his interest in the implications of emerging ideas in biology for philosophy. Particular interests include: epigenetics and related areas of molecular biology that have eroded the exceptional status of the gene, and presented the genome as fully interactive with the rest of the cell; developmental systems theory which, especially in the light of epigenetics, provides a space for a vision of evolution that takes full account of the fundamental importance of developmental processes; and microbiology, the elephant in the room of contemporary philosophy of biology. The emphasis on the importance of microbes is perhaps the most distinctive theme of the essays, and one that is shown to subvert such basic biological assumptions as the organization of biological kinds on a branching Tree of Life, and the simple traditional conception of the biological organism. These topics are understood in the context of a view of science, partly taken from earlier work, but developed further in some of the present essays, as realistically grounded in the natural order, but at the same time pluralistic and inextricably integrated within a social and normative context. Topics to which these philosophical and scientific ideas are addressed include the nature of the organism, the limits of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory, the significance of genomics, the biological status of human races, and the evolutionary and developmental plasticity of human nature.Less
This volume collects essays written by John Dupré during his time as Director of the ESRC centre for Genomics in Society, and reflects his interest in the implications of emerging ideas in biology for philosophy. Particular interests include: epigenetics and related areas of molecular biology that have eroded the exceptional status of the gene, and presented the genome as fully interactive with the rest of the cell; developmental systems theory which, especially in the light of epigenetics, provides a space for a vision of evolution that takes full account of the fundamental importance of developmental processes; and microbiology, the elephant in the room of contemporary philosophy of biology. The emphasis on the importance of microbes is perhaps the most distinctive theme of the essays, and one that is shown to subvert such basic biological assumptions as the organization of biological kinds on a branching Tree of Life, and the simple traditional conception of the biological organism. These topics are understood in the context of a view of science, partly taken from earlier work, but developed further in some of the present essays, as realistically grounded in the natural order, but at the same time pluralistic and inextricably integrated within a social and normative context. Topics to which these philosophical and scientific ideas are addressed include the nature of the organism, the limits of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory, the significance of genomics, the biological status of human races, and the evolutionary and developmental plasticity of human nature.
Kitcher Philip
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199899555
- eISBN:
- 9780199980154
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199899555.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter shows how Carnap's conception of the proper goals and methods of philosophy can be used to support a pragmatist critique of some current tendencies in the philosophy of science. Carnap ...
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This chapter shows how Carnap's conception of the proper goals and methods of philosophy can be used to support a pragmatist critique of some current tendencies in the philosophy of science. Carnap takes an important project of scientific philosophy to be the construction of systems of exact concepts that can better serve the purposes toward which older, vaguer, more confused forms of language have been directed. The author believes that Carnap's advice is worth taking seriously both in contemporary general philosophy of science and in current philosophy of biology. He uses Carnap's ideas about explication as a perspective from which to examine some discussions in which philosophers of biology have recently engaged.Less
This chapter shows how Carnap's conception of the proper goals and methods of philosophy can be used to support a pragmatist critique of some current tendencies in the philosophy of science. Carnap takes an important project of scientific philosophy to be the construction of systems of exact concepts that can better serve the purposes toward which older, vaguer, more confused forms of language have been directed. The author believes that Carnap's advice is worth taking seriously both in contemporary general philosophy of science and in current philosophy of biology. He uses Carnap's ideas about explication as a perspective from which to examine some discussions in which philosophers of biology have recently engaged.
Tudor M. Baetu
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199574131
- eISBN:
- 9780191728921
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574131.003.0019
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Logic / Computer Science / Mathematical Philosophy
Current accounts of the relationship between classical genetics and molecular biology favour the ‘explanatory extension’ thesis, according to which molecular biology elucidates aspects of inheritance ...
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Current accounts of the relationship between classical genetics and molecular biology favour the ‘explanatory extension’ thesis, according to which molecular biology elucidates aspects of inheritance unexplained by classical genetics. The chapter identifies however an unresolved tension between the ‘explanatory extension’ account and examples of ‘explanatory interference’ (cases when the accommodation of data from molecular biology results in a more precise genotyping and more adequate classical explanations). This chapter provides a new way of analysing the relationship between classical genetics and molecular biology capable of resolving this tension. The proposed solution makes use of the properties of mechanism schemas and sketches, which can be completed by elucidating some or all of their remaining ‘black boxes’ and instantiated via the filling‐in of phenomenon–specific details. This result has implications for the reductionism–antireductionism debate since it shows that molecular elucidations have a positive impact on classical explanations without entailing the reduction of classical genetics to molecular biology.Less
Current accounts of the relationship between classical genetics and molecular biology favour the ‘explanatory extension’ thesis, according to which molecular biology elucidates aspects of inheritance unexplained by classical genetics. The chapter identifies however an unresolved tension between the ‘explanatory extension’ account and examples of ‘explanatory interference’ (cases when the accommodation of data from molecular biology results in a more precise genotyping and more adequate classical explanations). This chapter provides a new way of analysing the relationship between classical genetics and molecular biology capable of resolving this tension. The proposed solution makes use of the properties of mechanism schemas and sketches, which can be completed by elucidating some or all of their remaining ‘black boxes’ and instantiated via the filling‐in of phenomenon–specific details. This result has implications for the reductionism–antireductionism debate since it shows that molecular elucidations have a positive impact on classical explanations without entailing the reduction of classical genetics to molecular biology.
John Dupré
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199691982
- eISBN:
- 9780191738111
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199691982.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This introduction introduces the central themes that run through the following chapters, and provides a brief summary of the main theses defended in the chapters.
This introduction introduces the central themes that run through the following chapters, and provides a brief summary of the main theses defended in the chapters.
John Dupré and Daniel J. Nicholson
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198779636
- eISBN:
- 9780191824685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198779636.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter argues that scientific and philosophical progress in our understanding of the living world requires that we abandon a metaphysics of things in favour of one centred on processes. We ...
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This chapter argues that scientific and philosophical progress in our understanding of the living world requires that we abandon a metaphysics of things in favour of one centred on processes. We identify three main empirical motivations for adopting a process ontology in biology: metabolic turnover, life cycles, and ecological interdependence. We show how taking a processual stance in the philosophy of biology enables us to ground existing critiques of essentialism, reductionism, and mechanicism, all of which have traditionally been associated with substance ontology. We illustrate the consequences of embracing an ontology of processes in biology by considering some of its implications for physiology, genetics, evolution, and medicine. And we attempt to locate the subsequent chapters of the book in relation to the position we defend.Less
This chapter argues that scientific and philosophical progress in our understanding of the living world requires that we abandon a metaphysics of things in favour of one centred on processes. We identify three main empirical motivations for adopting a process ontology in biology: metabolic turnover, life cycles, and ecological interdependence. We show how taking a processual stance in the philosophy of biology enables us to ground existing critiques of essentialism, reductionism, and mechanicism, all of which have traditionally been associated with substance ontology. We illustrate the consequences of embracing an ontology of processes in biology by considering some of its implications for physiology, genetics, evolution, and medicine. And we attempt to locate the subsequent chapters of the book in relation to the position we defend.
Daniel P. Steel
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195331448
- eISBN:
- 9780199868063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331448.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter introduces the general methodological challenges that confront extrapolation in the biological and social sciences, and sketches the outlines of the mechanisms approach to those ...
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This chapter introduces the general methodological challenges that confront extrapolation in the biological and social sciences, and sketches the outlines of the mechanisms approach to those challenges that is developed in the rest of the book.Less
This chapter introduces the general methodological challenges that confront extrapolation in the biological and social sciences, and sketches the outlines of the mechanisms approach to those challenges that is developed in the rest of the book.
Peter J. Woodford
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226539751
- eISBN:
- 9780226539928
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226539928.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
The final chapter turns to one of the most trenchant, sustained, and rigorous criticisms available of the entire trajectory of Nietzschean Life-philosophy and its turn to Darwinian ideas. This is to ...
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The final chapter turns to one of the most trenchant, sustained, and rigorous criticisms available of the entire trajectory of Nietzschean Life-philosophy and its turn to Darwinian ideas. This is to be found in the Neo-Kantian Heinrich Rickert’s 1920 monograph, The Philosophy of Life: A Presentation and Critique of the Philosophical Fashions of our Time. The chapter analyzes the radically different conception of the nature of science, of the role of values in science, of teleology in biology that Rickert outlined in this text. It also analyzes Rickert’s distinct understanding of the relationship between science and religion in terms of the paradoxical question of the meaning of nature. Despite Rickert’s critique, it shows that Rickert too was tempted to take a metaphysical turn at the end of his career in order to resolve a central problem prompted by Nietzschean Life-philosophy. This was the problem of whether or not Darwinian evolution as the sciences had helped us understand it presented a world in which human religious, ethical, and political ideals could genuinely be realized. In reflecting on this question, Rickert too came to a novel interpretation of the relationship between science and religion.Less
The final chapter turns to one of the most trenchant, sustained, and rigorous criticisms available of the entire trajectory of Nietzschean Life-philosophy and its turn to Darwinian ideas. This is to be found in the Neo-Kantian Heinrich Rickert’s 1920 monograph, The Philosophy of Life: A Presentation and Critique of the Philosophical Fashions of our Time. The chapter analyzes the radically different conception of the nature of science, of the role of values in science, of teleology in biology that Rickert outlined in this text. It also analyzes Rickert’s distinct understanding of the relationship between science and religion in terms of the paradoxical question of the meaning of nature. Despite Rickert’s critique, it shows that Rickert too was tempted to take a metaphysical turn at the end of his career in order to resolve a central problem prompted by Nietzschean Life-philosophy. This was the problem of whether or not Darwinian evolution as the sciences had helped us understand it presented a world in which human religious, ethical, and political ideals could genuinely be realized. In reflecting on this question, Rickert too came to a novel interpretation of the relationship between science and religion.
Ronald Bogue
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748632992
- eISBN:
- 9780748652570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748632992.003.0016
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter analyses Gilles Deleuze's engagement with the philosophical thoughts of Raymond Ruyer. It explains that Deleuze only briefly mentioned Ruyer in his Difference and Repetition, and that ...
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This chapter analyses Gilles Deleuze's engagement with the philosophical thoughts of Raymond Ruyer. It explains that Deleuze only briefly mentioned Ruyer in his Difference and Repetition, and that Deleuze's most extended treatment of Ruyer appears in The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque, though it occupied only two or three pages. Despite this, Ruyer can be considered as one of the most important influences on Deleuze's philosophy of biology, and a significant force in the development of Deleuze's ontology as a whole.Less
This chapter analyses Gilles Deleuze's engagement with the philosophical thoughts of Raymond Ruyer. It explains that Deleuze only briefly mentioned Ruyer in his Difference and Repetition, and that Deleuze's most extended treatment of Ruyer appears in The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque, though it occupied only two or three pages. Despite this, Ruyer can be considered as one of the most important influences on Deleuze's philosophy of biology, and a significant force in the development of Deleuze's ontology as a whole.
Eugene Thacker
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748633364
- eISBN:
- 9780748652600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748633364.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter examines new forms of protest and organisation enabled by new technologies, particularly the use of the idea of swarming as a form of multiplicity in relation to this, presents a set of ...
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This chapter examines new forms of protest and organisation enabled by new technologies, particularly the use of the idea of swarming as a form of multiplicity in relation to this, presents a set of case studies that deal with the phenomenon of swarms, and discusses Gilles Deleuze's philosophy of biology. It explores how a different politics can be conceptualised based on the idea of swarming and suggests that swarms are a foe that is stripped of its ‘faciality’.Less
This chapter examines new forms of protest and organisation enabled by new technologies, particularly the use of the idea of swarming as a form of multiplicity in relation to this, presents a set of case studies that deal with the phenomenon of swarms, and discusses Gilles Deleuze's philosophy of biology. It explores how a different politics can be conceptualised based on the idea of swarming and suggests that swarms are a foe that is stripped of its ‘faciality’.
Alexandre Guay and Thomas Pradeu
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199382514
- eISBN:
- 9780199382538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199382514.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter introduces the main issues and themes of the volume. Approaches to individuality from metaphysics and philosophy of science are contrasted. Recent philosophical developments regarding ...
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This chapter introduces the main issues and themes of the volume. Approaches to individuality from metaphysics and philosophy of science are contrasted. Recent philosophical developments regarding concepts of biological and physical individuality are exposed. These research trends show how philosophy of physics and philosophy of biology address differently the question of what an individual is. Five main divergences are identified: the centrality of part-whole questions, the issue of identical individuals, the importance of the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles and, finally, the importance of structuralist concerns. At the end of the chapter, the structure of the book is explained in detail.Less
This chapter introduces the main issues and themes of the volume. Approaches to individuality from metaphysics and philosophy of science are contrasted. Recent philosophical developments regarding concepts of biological and physical individuality are exposed. These research trends show how philosophy of physics and philosophy of biology address differently the question of what an individual is. Five main divergences are identified: the centrality of part-whole questions, the issue of identical individuals, the importance of the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles and, finally, the importance of structuralist concerns. At the end of the chapter, the structure of the book is explained in detail.
Daniel J. Nicholson and John Dupré (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198779636
- eISBN:
- 9780191824685
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198779636.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This collection of essays explores the metaphysical thesis that the living world is not ontologically made up of substantial particles or things, as has often been assumed, but is rather constituted ...
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This collection of essays explores the metaphysical thesis that the living world is not ontologically made up of substantial particles or things, as has often been assumed, but is rather constituted by processes. The biological domain is organized as an interdependent hierarchy of processes, which are stabilized and actively maintained at different timescales. Even entities that intuitively appear to be paradigms of things, such as organisms, are actually better understood as processes. Unlike previous attempts to articulate processual views of biology, which have tended to use Alfred North Whitehead’s panpsychist metaphysics as a foundation, this book takes a naturalistic approach to metaphysics. It submits that the main motivations for replacing an ontology of substances with one of processes are to be looked for in the empirical findings of science. Biology provides compelling reasons for thinking that the living realm is fundamentally dynamic and that the existence of things is always conditional on the existence of processes. The phenomenon of life cries out for theories that prioritize processes over things, and it suggests that the central explanandum of biology is not change but rather stability—or, more precisely, stability attained through constant change. This multicontributor volume brings together philosophers of science and metaphysicians interested in exploring the consequences of a processual philosophy of biology. The contributors draw on an extremely wide range of biological case studies and employ a process perspective to cast new light on a number of traditional philosophical problems such as identity, persistence, and individuality.Less
This collection of essays explores the metaphysical thesis that the living world is not ontologically made up of substantial particles or things, as has often been assumed, but is rather constituted by processes. The biological domain is organized as an interdependent hierarchy of processes, which are stabilized and actively maintained at different timescales. Even entities that intuitively appear to be paradigms of things, such as organisms, are actually better understood as processes. Unlike previous attempts to articulate processual views of biology, which have tended to use Alfred North Whitehead’s panpsychist metaphysics as a foundation, this book takes a naturalistic approach to metaphysics. It submits that the main motivations for replacing an ontology of substances with one of processes are to be looked for in the empirical findings of science. Biology provides compelling reasons for thinking that the living realm is fundamentally dynamic and that the existence of things is always conditional on the existence of processes. The phenomenon of life cries out for theories that prioritize processes over things, and it suggests that the central explanandum of biology is not change but rather stability—or, more precisely, stability attained through constant change. This multicontributor volume brings together philosophers of science and metaphysicians interested in exploring the consequences of a processual philosophy of biology. The contributors draw on an extremely wide range of biological case studies and employ a process perspective to cast new light on a number of traditional philosophical problems such as identity, persistence, and individuality.
Mark Couch and Jessica Pfeifer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199381357
- eISBN:
- 9780199381371
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199381357.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General, Philosophy of Science
The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher includes eleven chapters on the work of Kitcher. The chapters are written by leading scholars in their field: Nancy Cartwright and Alexandre Marcellesi, Lorraine ...
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The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher includes eleven chapters on the work of Kitcher. The chapters are written by leading scholars in their field: Nancy Cartwright and Alexandre Marcellesi, Lorraine Daston, Daniel Dennett, John Dupré, Paul E. Griffiths, Michela Massimi, Karen Neander, Gideon Rosen, Michael Smith, Michael Strevens, and Jim Woodward. The contributors raise critical issues about various aspects of Kitcher’s work, and each chapter is followed by a reply from Kitcher. Topics covered include philosophy of math, philosophy of biology, ethics, epistemology, religion, and general issues in philosophy of science, including realism, explanation, causation, reductionism, and the various connections between science, democracy, values, and policy. This work is an essential reference for anyone interested in understanding this important philosopher or the many issues on which he has worked.Less
The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher includes eleven chapters on the work of Kitcher. The chapters are written by leading scholars in their field: Nancy Cartwright and Alexandre Marcellesi, Lorraine Daston, Daniel Dennett, John Dupré, Paul E. Griffiths, Michela Massimi, Karen Neander, Gideon Rosen, Michael Smith, Michael Strevens, and Jim Woodward. The contributors raise critical issues about various aspects of Kitcher’s work, and each chapter is followed by a reply from Kitcher. Topics covered include philosophy of math, philosophy of biology, ethics, epistemology, religion, and general issues in philosophy of science, including realism, explanation, causation, reductionism, and the various connections between science, democracy, values, and policy. This work is an essential reference for anyone interested in understanding this important philosopher or the many issues on which he has worked.
Otávio Bueno, Ruey-Lin Chen, and Melinda B. Fagan
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190636814
- eISBN:
- 9780190636845
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190636814.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
The questions “What is an individual?” and “What things count as individuals?” are classic philosophical inquiries, currently pursued mainly within analytic metaphysics. This volume takes a new ...
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The questions “What is an individual?” and “What things count as individuals?” are classic philosophical inquiries, currently pursued mainly within analytic metaphysics. This volume takes a new approach, reformulating these questions and exploring them from the perspective of scientific practices. The guiding query then becomes: “How do scientists individuate the things they investigate and thus count them as individuals?” In this first chapter, the volume’s editors lay the groundwork for this new approach. The following sections define the problem of individuation, examine the close relation between individuality and individuation, and motivate the approach taken by this volume in the context of relevant literature. Key themes of the subsequent chapters—experimental practice, process, and pluralism—are discussed, as well as a brief introduction to each chapter.Less
The questions “What is an individual?” and “What things count as individuals?” are classic philosophical inquiries, currently pursued mainly within analytic metaphysics. This volume takes a new approach, reformulating these questions and exploring them from the perspective of scientific practices. The guiding query then becomes: “How do scientists individuate the things they investigate and thus count them as individuals?” In this first chapter, the volume’s editors lay the groundwork for this new approach. The following sections define the problem of individuation, examine the close relation between individuality and individuation, and motivate the approach taken by this volume in the context of relevant literature. Key themes of the subsequent chapters—experimental practice, process, and pluralism—are discussed, as well as a brief introduction to each chapter.
Karl S. Matlin, Jane Maienschein, and Manfred D. Laubichler
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226520483
- eISBN:
- 9780226520650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226520650.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
In the 1920s, a group of American biologists decided to initiate a new project: the creation of a comprehensive cytology textbook with individual chapters from many of the leaders in the field, most ...
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In the 1920s, a group of American biologists decided to initiate a new project: the creation of a comprehensive cytology textbook with individual chapters from many of the leaders in the field, most of whom already interacted on a regular basis during summers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. When it appeared as General Cytology in 1924, edited by Edmund V. Cowdry, the volume sought to treat cytology comprehensively, but also to go beyond what the authors saw as the usual morphological considerations. In October 2014 another group of leading scientists, as well as historians and philosophers of biology came together at the MBL to reflect on Cowdry's General Cytology from the perspective of the 21st century. Among the scientists were not only individuals who clearly identified as cell biologists, but also those more focused on gene expression and its regulation, topics many would consider more properly as molecular biology. The historians and philosophers were also an eclectic group. The outcome of this and a subsequent meeting is Visions of Cell Biology: Reflections Inspired by Cowdry’s General Cytology, a book that examines the past, present, and future of cell biology.Less
In the 1920s, a group of American biologists decided to initiate a new project: the creation of a comprehensive cytology textbook with individual chapters from many of the leaders in the field, most of whom already interacted on a regular basis during summers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. When it appeared as General Cytology in 1924, edited by Edmund V. Cowdry, the volume sought to treat cytology comprehensively, but also to go beyond what the authors saw as the usual morphological considerations. In October 2014 another group of leading scientists, as well as historians and philosophers of biology came together at the MBL to reflect on Cowdry's General Cytology from the perspective of the 21st century. Among the scientists were not only individuals who clearly identified as cell biologists, but also those more focused on gene expression and its regulation, topics many would consider more properly as molecular biology. The historians and philosophers were also an eclectic group. The outcome of this and a subsequent meeting is Visions of Cell Biology: Reflections Inspired by Cowdry’s General Cytology, a book that examines the past, present, and future of cell biology.
Tim Lewens
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198712657
- eISBN:
- 9780191781001
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198712657.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Moral Philosophy
Much work in bioethics, and also work in mainstream ethics and in political philosophy, is committed to substantive positions regarding the interpretation of biology. Sometimes these commitments are ...
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Much work in bioethics, and also work in mainstream ethics and in political philosophy, is committed to substantive positions regarding the interpretation of biology. Sometimes these commitments are quite obvious, as when ethicists rely on robust notions of species natures to ground their views of enhancement. At other times ethicists espouse more covert positions regarding (for example) proper biological development, ‘species design’, the alleged distinction between the natural and the social, the nature of evolutionary processes, or the causal pre-eminence of genes. This book examines a series of bioethical debates concerning human enhancement, synthetic biology, the ethical significance of species natures, the moral import of evolutionary history, genes and justice, and reproductive ethics, and offer a critical assessment of their biological foundations. It shows how the philosophy of science, and more specifically the philosophy of biology, can illuminate bioethics, political philosophy and ethics more generally.Less
Much work in bioethics, and also work in mainstream ethics and in political philosophy, is committed to substantive positions regarding the interpretation of biology. Sometimes these commitments are quite obvious, as when ethicists rely on robust notions of species natures to ground their views of enhancement. At other times ethicists espouse more covert positions regarding (for example) proper biological development, ‘species design’, the alleged distinction between the natural and the social, the nature of evolutionary processes, or the causal pre-eminence of genes. This book examines a series of bioethical debates concerning human enhancement, synthetic biology, the ethical significance of species natures, the moral import of evolutionary history, genes and justice, and reproductive ethics, and offer a critical assessment of their biological foundations. It shows how the philosophy of science, and more specifically the philosophy of biology, can illuminate bioethics, political philosophy and ethics more generally.
Tim Lewens
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198712657
- eISBN:
- 9780191781001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198712657.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Moral Philosophy
Bioethics and the philosophy of biology have often been pursued in isolation from each other, and even in different institutions. This has led researchers in both domains to overlook contentious ...
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Bioethics and the philosophy of biology have often been pursued in isolation from each other, and even in different institutions. This has led researchers in both domains to overlook contentious theses concerning (for example) human nature, development, and adaptation that often underlie prominent stances in bioethics. An investigation of the biological foundations of bioethics leads to substantially revised positions regarding such topics as enhancement, the health/disease distinction, and justice in healthcare.Less
Bioethics and the philosophy of biology have often been pursued in isolation from each other, and even in different institutions. This has led researchers in both domains to overlook contentious theses concerning (for example) human nature, development, and adaptation that often underlie prominent stances in bioethics. An investigation of the biological foundations of bioethics leads to substantially revised positions regarding such topics as enhancement, the health/disease distinction, and justice in healthcare.
Peter J. Woodford
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226539751
- eISBN:
- 9780226539928
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226539928.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
What does biological evolution tell us about the nature of religion, about ethical values, or even about the meaning and purpose of life? Notable contemporary debates have indicated the continuing ...
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What does biological evolution tell us about the nature of religion, about ethical values, or even about the meaning and purpose of life? Notable contemporary debates have indicated the continuing cultural weight of such questions. This book aims to shed new light on them by examining the significance of an early philosophical discussion of Darwin in late 19th-century Germany. It begins with Friedrich Nietzsche, whose writings stage one of the first - and still most influential - confrontations with the Christian tradition using the resources of Darwinian thought. By examining Nietzsche’s negotiation of the relationship between science and religion and showing that his appropriation of evolutionary thinking was driven by a unique existential question about the moral meaning of evolution, it complicates and critiques a standard rendition of Nietzsche’s significance for the contemporary understanding of religion. It then goes on to show how three other thinkers influential in their respective disciplines—the historian of Christian origins Franz Overbeck, the sociologist Georg Simmel, and the Neo-Kantian philosopher Heinrich Rickert—responded to Nietzsche’s “Life-philosophy” (Lebensphilosophie). Each of these critics offered cogent challenges to Nietzsche’s appropriation of the picture of evolution emerging from the biological sciences, to his negotiation between science and religion, and to the normative dimensions embedded in his concept of life. They also each offered alternative ways of making sense of Nietzsche’s unique questioning of the moral meaning of biological evolution.Less
What does biological evolution tell us about the nature of religion, about ethical values, or even about the meaning and purpose of life? Notable contemporary debates have indicated the continuing cultural weight of such questions. This book aims to shed new light on them by examining the significance of an early philosophical discussion of Darwin in late 19th-century Germany. It begins with Friedrich Nietzsche, whose writings stage one of the first - and still most influential - confrontations with the Christian tradition using the resources of Darwinian thought. By examining Nietzsche’s negotiation of the relationship between science and religion and showing that his appropriation of evolutionary thinking was driven by a unique existential question about the moral meaning of evolution, it complicates and critiques a standard rendition of Nietzsche’s significance for the contemporary understanding of religion. It then goes on to show how three other thinkers influential in their respective disciplines—the historian of Christian origins Franz Overbeck, the sociologist Georg Simmel, and the Neo-Kantian philosopher Heinrich Rickert—responded to Nietzsche’s “Life-philosophy” (Lebensphilosophie). Each of these critics offered cogent challenges to Nietzsche’s appropriation of the picture of evolution emerging from the biological sciences, to his negotiation between science and religion, and to the normative dimensions embedded in his concept of life. They also each offered alternative ways of making sense of Nietzsche’s unique questioning of the moral meaning of biological evolution.
Mark Couch and Jessica Pfeifer
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199381357
- eISBN:
- 9780199381371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199381357.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General, Philosophy of Science
Philip Kitcher has made significant contributions to a variety of fields, including general philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of biology, ethics, and religion. The ...
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Philip Kitcher has made significant contributions to a variety of fields, including general philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of biology, ethics, and religion. The introduction traces the historical progression of Kitcher’s philosophy and provides a brief overview of many of his major works and the contributions he has made. The introduction also summarizes each of the chapters. Each chapter focuses on a specific area of Kitcher’s work and is followed by a reply from Kitcher. Chapter 1 focuses on Kitcher’s views about mathematics; chapters 2 and 3 on his work in philosophy of biology; chapters 4 through 9 on more general issues in philosophy of science; chapter 10 on his work in ethics; and chapter 11 on his recent criticism of the “New Atheists.”Less
Philip Kitcher has made significant contributions to a variety of fields, including general philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of biology, ethics, and religion. The introduction traces the historical progression of Kitcher’s philosophy and provides a brief overview of many of his major works and the contributions he has made. The introduction also summarizes each of the chapters. Each chapter focuses on a specific area of Kitcher’s work and is followed by a reply from Kitcher. Chapter 1 focuses on Kitcher’s views about mathematics; chapters 2 and 3 on his work in philosophy of biology; chapters 4 through 9 on more general issues in philosophy of science; chapter 10 on his work in ethics; and chapter 11 on his recent criticism of the “New Atheists.”
